The present invention relates generally to the construction of a roofing shingle. In particular, the present invention relates to the construction of an asphalt roofing shingle utilizing a unique combination of exposure dimension and arrangement of color striations thereon to create a greater visual impact than existing asphalt shingles.
Asphalt shingles (sometimes also often referred to as composite shingles) are one of the most commonly used roofing materials. Asphalt shingles typically comprise an organic felt or fiberglass mat base on which is applied an asphalt coating. The organic felt or fiberglass mat base gives the asphalt shingle the strength to withstand manufacturing, handling, installation and servicing, and the asphalt coating provides resistance to weathering and stability under temperature extremes. An outer layer of mineral granules is also commonly applied to the asphalt coating to form a weather surface which shields the asphalt coating from the sun's rays, adds color to the final product, and provides fire resistance.
Asphalt shingles are typically manufactured as strip shingles, laminated shingles, interlocking shingles, and large individual shingles in a variety of weights and colors. Even though asphalt shingles offer significant cost, service life, and fire resistance advantages over wood shingles, wood shingles are often preferred due to their pleasing aesthetic features, such as their greater thickness as compared to asphalt shingles, which results in a more pleasing, layered look for a roof.
Various asphalt shingles have been developed to provide an appearance of thickness comparable to wood shingles. Examples of such asphalt shingles are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,530 entitled "Method of Making a Thick Shingle"; U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,358 entitled "Composite Shingle"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,614 entitled "Asphalt Shingle"; and U.S. Pat. Des. No. D309,027 entitled "Tab Portion of a Shingle." Each of these patents is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
In addition to these patents, significant improvements in the art of roofing shingles have been disclosed and patented in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,369,929; 5,611,186; and 5,666,776; each entitled "Laminated Roofing Shingle", issued to Weaver et al. and assigned to the Elk Corporation of Dallas. These patents disclose laminated roofing shingles having a color gradient or gradation thereon to create the illusion of thickness or depth on a relatively flat surface. These patents are also incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. The present invention substantially improves on the roofing shingles described in the above-identified patents.